Sami Aittokallio | Goalie | #74

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Sami Aittokallio has been sent to the minors.

Aittokallio didn't end up getting any playing time during his stint with the Colorado Avalanche. He was called up because both Semyon Varlamov (groin) and Reto Berra (upper body) were sidelined, but now that Berra has returned, the Avalanche can afford to return Aittokallio to the AHL. Wed, Oct 22, 2014 06:45:00 PM

Sami Aittokallio had a season debut he'd like to forget in Colorado's 5-2 loss to the Lightning on Saturday night.

The 21-year-old gave up three goals on 18 shots in two periods of his second career NHL game, before getting yanked for Semyon Varlamov, who made nine saves on 11 shots. It's unlikely Aittokallio will be in the NHL for much longer unless J.S. Giguere's cranky back is worse than it appears. Sat, Jan 25, 2014 10:09:00 PM

Depth Charts

Matt Duchene is focused on training for the upcoming season and he's trying to put the trade rumors behind him.

Colorado hasn't made trading for Duchene easy, as the asking price is believed to be high. "I think right now I'm pretty relaxed," said Duchene. "I know whatever's going to happen is gonna happen. I don't really have control of it and I'm just worried about being at the top of my game and kind of getting to where I was kind of the first half of last season, before everything kind of fell apart everybody in Colorado. I feel good right now, probably as good as I felt at any point during the year. It is what it is and let it happen." Duchene struggled in 2016-17 with 18 goals and 41 points in 77 games. He has two years left on his contract at a $6 million cap hit per season.

Tyson Jost understands he will have to earn his roster spot with the Avalanche and he isn't taking anything for granted going into his first NHL training camp.

"My goal this year is to be in the NHL and to be an impact player with the [Avalanche]," said Jost last month at Colorado's development camp. "To be able to do that, I have to have a big summer and I think I'm heading in the right direction. Working out at elevation, it's a lot tougher. I wanted to be [at development camp last month]. I'm always looking for ways to get better." He netted one goal in six outings with Colorado at the end of the 2016-17 campaign and felt the experience will benefit him going into camp. Jost is expected to be on the big club in 2017-18 and will probably be counted on to play a key role as a top-six forward.

J.T. Compher is projected to play a larger role with the Avalanche this season.

"He's a smart player, a really smart player," coach Jared Bednar said late last year. "He is starting to create some chances and find some room there. I think he can do more of that." Compher recorded one goal and two assists in the last six games of the season. He will look to build on that style of play in 2017-18.

The Colorado Avalanche have signed J.C. Beaudin to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The deal comes with a $245,000 signing bonus and an annual average value of $683,000 if he plays in the NHL. The 19-year-old was Colorado's third round pick in 2015. He has 28 goals and 74 points in 59 QMJHL games. He's likely a couple of years away from becoming a regular NHLer.

He spent most of the 2016-17 season in the minors with the San Antonio Rampage. Grimaldi led the team in scoring with 31 goals and 55 points in 72 games. He also made four appearances with the Avalanche last year and he recorded one assist.

The deal is reportedly worth $2.8 million. Andrighetto produced five goals and 16 points in 19 games for Colorado after he was acquired from Montreal. "We were pleased with what Sven added to our team at the end of last season," said Avalanche GM Joe Sakic. "He sees the ice well and brings speed and scoring to our lineup. We're excited to have him under contract."

It seems that Avs' GM Joe Sakic views Wilson as an excellent third-line player at either center or wing. That's not going to do wonders for his fantasy value. We would wait and see if Wilson is looking at a bottom-six assignment or if he can elevate his game enough to land on the Avs' second line before investing anything in him.

Colorado has avoided going to arbitration with Matt Nieto because the two sides have agreed on a one-year contract.

Nieto's new deal is reportedly worth $1 million. He produced seven goals and 11 points in 43 games with the Avalanche after he was claimed off waivers from San Jose. Nieto has accumulated 35 goals and 81 points over 264 career NHL outings.

Greer picked up his first point, an assist, during his first five games of his NHL career. That's pretty good considering he's only 19-years-old. In 15 games this season, he's posted five goals and 14 points in 15 games.

Nathan MacKinnon has been a dominant force at the IIHF World Hockey Championships.

He leads Team Canada in scoring with 14 points and is tied for second among all players in the tournament. Team Canada will play for the gold medal Sunday against Team Sweden and MacKinnon will certainly be a major player to watch in that contest.

Mikko Rantanen has six points in four games for Finland at the World Hockey Championship tournament.

He notched a goal and an assist in Wednesday's 5-2 win over Slovenia. The marker was Rantanen's first of the tournament. Rantanen led the Avalanche with 20 goals during the 2016-17 season. He finished with 38 points in 75 games.

The Colorado Avalanche have signed Nail Yakupov to a one-year, $875,000 contract.

Yakupov became an unrestricted free agent after the St. Louis Blues decided not to present him with a qualifying offer. This deal makes a lot of sense for Colorado. Yakupov has been a bust since being taken with the first overall pick in 2012, but there's still a chance that he'll find his way and given the terms of the contract, this is a low-risk gamble for Colorado.

The Colorado Avalanche could reportedly move Tyson Barrie this summer.

Darren Dreger mentioned the possibility on TSN's "Insider Trading" segment. Dreger also mentioned that for Barrie to move, the Avalanche would need to get a quality defenseman in a separate trade for Matt Duchene. Barrie had seven goals and 31 points in 74 games this season, but he put up 49 and 53 points in his previous two seasons. The 25-year-old has three years remaining on his contract at $5.5 million. Barrie suffered a lacerated leg in a wrestling match with a teammate during the World Hockey Championship this spring, but he's expected to be fully healthy for the start of the regular season.

"Trust me, they will have a deal. You can count on it," said one source familiar with the negotiations. It isn't believed that Zadorov will jump ship to the KHL. It's being reported that he is seeking a contract between $2.75 million and $3 million per year, while the Avalanche were looking at a deal in the $2 million per year range.

Mark Barberio has been skating on Colorado's top defense pairing alongside Erik Johnson.

"I think he's been pretty good," said coach Jared Bednar. "He helps us in a lot of areas. You look at his ability to move the puck and contribute to our offensive scheme, I think he's fitting in. He defends hard and we're asking a lot of him, playing in the top pair and logging minutes against some of those top guys he's got to defend. But I think he's doing an admirable job." He was claimed off waivers from Montreal on Feb. 2 and he has posted seven points in 24 games with the Avalanche.

Andrei Mironov is taking part in Colorado's development camp and he is aiming to be in the NHL this season.

"For now, I want to soak it all in, try to learn everything the coaches teach and between camps work hard and improve," Mironov said. "Same with main camp — learn from other players and work again." He has played five seasons in the KHL for Moscow Dynamo and could be a regular with the Avalanche in 2017-18.

The Colorado Avalanche have assigned Chris Bigras to the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL.

Bigras skated in 31 NHL games last year, so the demotion is a little bit of a surprise. When asked why he sent Bigras down, here's what head coach Jared Bedner had to say: "Because he needs to go play. He needs to go play big, important minutes down there. He’s having … he had a great camp. I like what I see from him." The 21-year-old was Colorado's second round pick in 2013. J.T. Compher and Anton Lindholm were also sent to the minors.

The Colorado Avalanche signed Nicolas Meloche to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Meloche was the team's second round pick, 40th overall, in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old has 14 goals and 28 assists in 55 QMJHL games this season. He's likely a few years away from contributing at the NHL level.

"It’s been two months after the first surgery and six weeks after the second one, so I feel good," Varlamov said. He remains very confident that he'll be 100% in time for training camp. He had a 3.38 GAA and .898 save percentage in 24 contests this season.

The Colorado Avalanche have inked Jonathan Bernier to a one-year, $2.75 million deal.

Bernier should serve as Semyon Varlamov’s backup after Calvin Pickard was lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. Varlamov is a bit injury prone so there could be some decent playing time available for Bernier, but the Avs are not a very good team and as a result, Bernier’s fantasy numbers could get rather ugly.